Apple announced in June 2026 that developers with fewer than 2 million first-time App Store downloads will be able to use its Foundation Models running in Private Cloud Compute at no cloud API cost. The company made the announcement during its developer keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday.
The move targets indie and early-stage developers, offering them access to Apple’s cloud-based AI models without taking on additional infrastructure expenses. “It’s access to frontier-tier level intelligence with unparalleled privacy protections, because getting started exploring ideas shouldn’t be held back by infrastructure costs,” a presenter said during the keynote.
The threshold mirrors the structure of Apple’s existing Small Business Program, which offers lower App Store commission rates to smaller developers who have not yet reached significant revenue milestones.
Apple also said the Foundation Models framework is expanding this year to include image input and support for server models, allowing the API to integrate with cloud model providers of a developer’s choice. The company described the change as making it easier to access large cloud models for more complex tasks.
The announcement comes as AI experimentation costs have become a growing concern across the industry. Apple’s source material notes that Meta and Amazon have discontinued internal AI token usage leaderboards, where developers once competed to spend heavily on AI tools. Ride-sharing company Uber recently disclosed it had exhausted its entire 2026 AI budget within four months.
By waiving infrastructure fees for smaller developers, Apple may position its models as a lower-cost entry point for those looking to build AI-powered applications without committing to significant cloud spending upfront.
Source: TechCrunch